The Tunnel of Doom

Years ago I got it in my head to cut a trail from east to west (or west to east) to see if the deer would prefer to walk on it.  I wasn't necessarily doing this for their convenience as there were two deer stands positioned within roughly a hundred yards of each end - the new Stand of Death 2.0 on the east, an older (but in really good shape) metal tower to the west and a third wooden guard tower in the middle.

The trail is a quarter mile in length and - yes - the deer prefer it.  I don't know if they're lazy or easily duped; although I think it is the former and not the latter.  

As the trees have grown-up the trail has gotten tighter.  Nevertheless, if I mow it and trim some branches a couple of times each year I haven't had any trouble keeping it open.  As a matter of fact, in some sections it has become more like a tunnel.

The Tunnel of Doom

Some of you may think that this affords the hunter an unfair advantage.  I would disagree.  With their keen sniffer and sharp vision it is the whitetail who generally has the advantage.  Think of this as creating three ambush points.  That is fair chase.  If we put out piles of corn and shot the hapless deer casually feeding on a corn pile that would be an unfair advantage.  While it is perfectly legal (so far) we don't hunt deer over corn as that is mere shooting and requires no patience or skill.  But I digress.

Here's some images recently captured before, during and after.

Mama and the twins...

 

Me on the New Holland Boomer going...

And returning....

Me and Ruby servicing the trail cameras on this particular day...

And the tunnel.....

 

How To Build A Deer Stand

I've built a lot of deer stands over the decades; all most too many to count.  In the early years it was a simple matter to pick-out an appropriate tree that could accommodate a home-built platform with a railing or a manufactured stand you could hang from the tree trunk.  If you chose to construct something out of lumber that was harder and required near constant attention to repairs as trees move with the wind and those platforms eventually become unstable or dangerous without inspection and repair.

All of that ended with the arrival of the ash borer.  Because mature ash trees, with their straight, strong and tall trunks are near ideal for mounting a deer stand; everything around here is dead or dying and not longer suitable for use.

So about ten years ago I commenced-upon a plan to gradually construct free-standing towers fashioned from pressure-treated lumber to replace those that had been in trees and to supplement four additional metal factory-built stands.   

At last count, and including this stand, there have been added eight wooden towers supplementing three metal stands.  The oldest metal stand was replaced by the newest wooden tower a couple weeks ago. 

This location is a really hot spot as the existing stand enjoys views south and west of several hundred yards in length.  So effective is the deer hunting here that this stand is named The Stand of Death.  Lately, dark humor extends that term to anyone bold enough to hunt from a slowly deteriorating stand.  Hunt from it at your own peril. 

I purchased that metal tower 30 + years ago from Fleet Farm.  It's rusty, corroded and pretty rickety.  It is basically unsafe.  Furthermore when you look at it you can see that it's difficult to enter and egress, especially in cold weather when you have to wear bulkier outerwear and heavy boots.  And there's no space to stand-up (safely) and stretch.  The replacement is gonna be luxurious.

 

Having performed most of the preassembly work myself there is a certain amount of muscle memory and record-keeping to guide the purchase of hardware and lumber for the project.  Nevertheless, every time we embark on this there is always a return trip to town for something that we missed or additional needed hardware.  If you've ever constructed a deck you would understand the process.  With the exception of concrete footings it's similar.

Most of the work begins under the lean-to on the barn; a handy place as it's protected from the elements, has power, storage space and a deck that allows sawdust and debris to disappear.

The latest iteration of tower stands features a 4X4 foot footprint fitted with rails bolted to the perimeter joists and the attachment of manufactured brackets that allow fitting the platform to four legs.

Most everything is preassembled along with additional parts cut, numbered and lettered for final assembly in the field.  Ladder, legs and additional lumber in the pick-up truck.  Base and tools in the mule.

 

That's Nick installing lag screws while everyone else is chatting about the recent release of another season of Ted Lasso.  Don’t get the impression that this is one guy doing all the work while the other four pick their noses. This was sweaty labor and a real group effort.

The tower is then slowly winched into an upright position, positioned and leveled by hand by means of human muscle.

And then further braced, blocked, a ladder and additional guards against fall added to the upper deck.

This stand presently is furnished with a camo-painted cafeteria chair; however, a swiveling pedestal boat seat will eventually be permanently installed. 

The following video starts at the eastern portal of what we call the quarter mile long ‘Tunnel of Doom’.  At the opener you can see a couple of flag tapes on the left and right side of the frame. 

 

As I shared at the top, the new Stand of Death (SOD 2.0) enjoys a magnificent view of two shooting lanes. 

 

 

The Middle Guard Tower is similarly endowed to include a new 100 yard-plus shooting lane to the east; further enhancing the original north-south lane. 

 

Thanks to those that were able to join-in on short notice to help assemble this and clear offending branches and other obstacles. I cannot express my gratitude enough.

 

There’s still work to be to be completed before the bow opener so check-in with me about your availability.

 

The food around here is pretty good. 

 

Cheers people; and eat more deer!

Wassup With The Fellas

If the weather holds the fellas and I plan to deploy a replacement deer stand today to replace the oldest of the factory-built steel tower stands dating-back to the early years.  If all goes according to plan I'll post photos and the backstory when I have time.

Meanwhile, there have been some other fellas showing-up on the trail cameras from time to time; those with the velvet antlers..... 

 

 

Bushwhacking

 

From July 18 you can see how overgrown the trails are.  The Mule is basically half visible above the grass and weeds and you cannot see the dog.

 

So, earlier last week I swapped-out the blades and checked the gear oil on the Rhino, fluids and fittings on the tractor and hitched everything-up.  I got the north trail cleaned-up afterwards and on Saturday finished the rest with the exception of clearing the campsite alongside the creek.  

 

  

3.5 miles of trails brushed, including a location for the last deer stand this old hunter’s gonna build. 

 

 

 

That Rhino brush hog predates the blue tractor and if I had to hazard a guess might have close to a thousand hours under its belt. 

 

 

I didn’t keep count but I’d bet I shifted a dozen dead ash off the trail using nothing but the bucket on the New Holland. Sure beats wagging a chainsaw around. 

 

 

Check-back tomorrow for a virtual walk along one of the newly-cleared trails to see what's blooming in the pollinator habitat.

 

Meanwhile, raising a toast to high pressure hydraulics….

Summer Blooms

From our early walk this morning it was already 75F and forecast  to rise into the mid to low 80s. Whew!   We ran the trail camera trapline too so there are more critters to follow,  

There was also silky dogwood - Cornus amomum. 

 
This deciduous shrub has an open-rounded form and features tiny yellowish-white flowers in flat-topped clusters in late spring to early summer, followed by attractive berry-like drupes that ripen from white to blue in late summer.

It is typically found in moist lowland areas, such as swamp borders, floodplains, and along streams and ponds. 

The berries are edible for birds and wildlife. The berries can be used in teas or other preparations when ripe but are otherwise toxic to people. 

Lots more blooming in the pollinator habitat; and monarch butterflies, pardon the pun, are king.

Stay cool

 

Spring Blooms

From our walk to check the trail camera trapline yesterday there was Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis).  A native perennial.

How To Build A Raised Garden - Chapter Three

With the final assemble of the two raised bed planting boxes site prep was next.  A trip to Home Depot snared a couple of rolls of Vigoro 3 ft. x 50 ft. WeedBlock Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric with Microfunnels.  The product is designed to channel water away; yet maintain some semblance of moisture.  We'll see.  Like I said previously, this raised bed gardening is a learning curve.

My site was not level and was going to require some earthmoving to level it out.  It was with some trepidation that I went to start the tractor; which fired in the first crank.  Whew!  We had a couple of yards of soil on hand but moving it was going to require the use of the loader.  There was additional soil amendments and mulch - all of which are better hauled with a loader.  More on that episode momentarily.

As best I could I transferred dirt from here to there, leveled it out and stapled-down a layer of weed barrier.  

Following that, I carefully lined both planters with a layer of weed barrier fastening it with stainless steel staples.  A further nod to extending the life of the cedar by means of delaying immediate dirt to wood contact.  We'll see.

The Missus and I placed the boxes in position, shimmed them with treated wood blocks and added three inches (give or take) of untreated, natural wood mulch.

This was followed by a thick layer of additional soil from our stash.  At which point a high pressure hydraulic hose blew on the loader.

This added a day of delay in the project as I had to remove the culprit hose, make a trip to Sturgeon Bay to get a replacement fabricated and install it.  

Crisis averted.

On top of the first layer of soil went ten total bags of organic raised bed soil.  And don't get me started about what I found in that "organic" blend - shredded plastic, bits of debris, and sorta whatnot and nonsense including a stainless steel bolt.  Sheesh. 

An additional bag of composed manure was added over all.

Then everything was dressed with more natural wood mulch which I'm happy with as there's no mud to my gardening experience.

Nevertheless, we did have delivered three yards of "fancy" wood mulch for general landscaping purposes this summer and some of that might find its way to the raised bed project.  Time will tell.

Anyway, be sure to check back periodically for updates on what's growing, harvested, cooked, consumed or preserved.

This old man is looking forward to no longer raising vegetables on his hands and knees.

Praise the Lord and Vive le Jardin Magnifique!

Speaking of which; I've got a solid-running rototiller that I'm willing to part with for not a lot of money it it goes to a good home.  If you're interested you know where to find me....

How To Build A Raised Garden - Chapter Two

As a building material cedar is naturally rot-resistant.  I switched to cedar for bird box construction and properly sealed have had excellent results for something that is subject to the elements 24/7, year-in and year-out.  The only exception is a half-dozen pine-constructed boxes that I literally (and liberally) soaked in Thompson's Waterseal wood preservative decades ago.  They're persisting despite being held-together with galvanized nails because as a preservative Thompson's mummifies your wood.  But I digress.

For my raised beds I thought best to treat the cedar before assembly and some research on the interweb let me to the choice of this product.

It is technically a deck stain, but is labeled as nontoxic when used for growing foodstuffs.  You can have it tinted in any number of colors, but I chose to go with clear untinted and the result was a mat (non-glossy) finish that really enhanced the natural elements of the cedar while hopefully extending the life expectancy of the planter.

It dries fast and earlier this month as the weather began to warm I dragged a couple of ancient sawbucks over to the granary lean-to and set-up  to stain/seal the boards and corner assemblies with two to three coats of product.  

It took three to four days and just about the time I was more than half-way thru the can this happened.

I wouldn't ordinarily cry over spilled stain but at $78 a gallon this was a near disaster.

Fortunately, and with the help of the missus, the spilled product on the surface of the boards was scraped back into the can and anything on the lean-to floor was sopped-up with a brush and applied to the boards.  Dirt and all.  I'd like to think it adds character; besides, it's a planter after all.  Disaster averted.

After the sealant was dry assembly followed.

 

And after assembly I touched-up any scrapes, scuffs and edges with more the sealant/stain.

I added handles on each end to facilitate moving the boxes to their final resting spot so as to not stress any of the fittings.

It occurred to me that with the addition of two additional handles on the long sides of the box I would be half-way to a coffin.  All that would be needed would be a bottom and a lid.  This notion has morbid possibilities so I'll leave it at the raised box planter stage of the discussion.

Tomorrow I'll share installation and planting material tips.   

How To Build A Raised Garden - Chapter One

I'm an old man and after more than three decades of working crappy Door County dirt I am done gardening on my hands and knees.  

At the close of last season we tilled and sowed the garden adjacent to the machine shed into pollinator plants and for us anyway permanently put it to pasture.  My plan was to install two to three raised beds in the front yard above the rock wall.  That way I could still scratch my gardening itch, give my back and knees a break and if I wanted to freeze or can a large quantity of anything there's plenty of ways to source vegetables from a local grower or farm market.

After researching designs and availability of material locally I decided-upon a box roughly three by six feet and sixteen inches in height.  Western red cedar deck boards closely resembling the material used in fashioning bird boxes.  Whilst bird box boards are planed smooth on one side and rough-sawn on the opposite surface the deck boards are planed smooth on all surfaces with rounded edges.  They're also thicker (one inch), closer-grained and seemingly have more knots.  More character I like to say.  

Sure, I could have simply used green-treated lumber but I figured on something easier on the eyes yet durable.  Oddly-enough, materials were cheaper sourced from Amazon Prime than anywhere else locally.

Last week, and just in-time, I installed two of them and on Wednesday planted the first with various vegetable seeds and some potted sugar snap peas and a trellis.  Two days ago the tomatoes, peppers and herbs were plugged-in.  After 48 hours all the plants are looking happier to be freed of their pots.

There's room for one more box, or a half-sized box, if needed.  I figure I'll give it a go for one growing season at a minimum before engaging in further expansion.

Raised bed gardening like this is new to me and likely has a learning curve.  Stay-tuned for a couple of further installments on the build and installation and harvest as the season progresses. 

 

 

   

Talk'n Turkey

While working on a gardening project a few days ago I could hear a big male turkey gobbling-away.  I couldn't see him, yet within earshot I knew precisely what he was up to.  

It was making my dog nuts, but delightful to know someone was strutting their stuff likely across the road or on one of the trails closer to the house.

Like this dude....  

Death To The Queen!

In another rite of spring I deployed this.

 

 

 

 

It's baited with a pheromone attractant. 

 

If I can trap and drown a queen yellow jacket wasp awakening from her overwinter slumber I eliminate the possibility of an entire colony. 

 

It works most years.

 

Bastard, sociopath members of the insect kingdom. 

Dump Run

This Chevy Silverado pick-up still runs like a champ.  And it will be celebrating its 29th birthday in September.  That was when it rolled-off the assembly line in Flint Michigan in 1997.

We take care of our vehicles and tend to run them until the wheels fall-off.

It's spring-cleaning time around here so when making a trip to the town dump it's always a delight to rock some Marshall Tucker on the cassette player.

Who do you know has a working cassette player anymore?  Much less, a cassette tape collection....